Abstract #1981

Hippocampal Neurochemical Changes in Neonatal Mouse Model of Phlebotomy-Induced Anemia

Ivan Tkac¹, Diana Wallin², Tara Zamora², Kathleen Ennis², Ariel Stein², Michael K. Georgieff², Raghavendra Rao²

¹Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States; ²Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States

In vivo ¹H NMR spectroscopy was used to investigate changes in the neurochemical profile of the hippocampus of 14-day old anemic mice (Hct = 20 2%). Anemia was induced by periodic blood draws during postnatal period P3 P14. Small, but significant changes were observed in myo-inositol, lactate and phosphoethanolamine levels, which indicate myelination changes in the developing brain resulted from iron deficiency. These results suggest that uncompensated phlebotomy-induced blood loss is a risk factor, especially for preterm infants, and has implications on blood transfusion practices.